Episode Wrap-Up

The episode was an interesting way to portray the Osiris myth. I was confused at first, since the victims were being chased by hallucinatory elements and then we find out they had actually turned their lives around, so Osiris was judging them for the guilt that still weighed in their hearts. Of course Dean would be #1 on that list. His two biggest guilts being the way he ruined (in his mind) Jo and Sam's lives were very true to his character. And the threat to Amy being the third witness pushed him over the edge. He'd rather die than tell Sam the truth about her. This is not going to bode well for them in the long-term. Secrets between the Winchesters usually end in death and pain.


As for Sam, seeing him being the most well-adjusted between the two of them was a bit weird. This is the guy with the Hell hallucinations and the constant need to use pain to ground himself in reality and he's the better of the two? But he's also learned to let go of his guilt. He's done some bad things in his life, but he served his time in Hell and now he sees the scales as more balanced. Dean hasn't learned that yet and it's going to kill him if he doesn't learn it soon. He can't carry around that much guilt and pain without it cracking his already fragile psyche. He's already withdrawn into the safety of his former view of the world being clearly monsters = bad. I wonder when Sam will learn the truth about Amy and when Dean's going to go tumbling down.


It was wonderful to see Jo back tonight. We got a chance to see Ellen brought back from the dead in the AU Titanic world, so it was only fitting that Jo get to come back at least once. It was interesting that she didn't want to bring vengeance upon Dean, but she was pushed to do so by Osiris. And Dean was so forgiving the entire time, because he knew that she didn't want to do it either. I wondered how she would kill him, apparently blocking out that "oh, yeah, he's going to die like she did" so when she started turning on the gas it was gut-wrenching. They were all put into a bad situation, but thankfully Sam managed to save them in time.


Despite the weighed-down nature of tonight's ep, there were some lighter/old-school moments:

• Brotherly bickering when they went through the first victim's crime scene.


• Getting to trample through the graveyard. They haven't done that in a while.


• Sam laying a salt circle (and Dean laying one later). Always nice to go back to basics.


• Dean trying to psyche himself up to get with the bartender. He's been out of the game for far too long.


• Lawyer!Sam! He's a bit rusty, but it was nice to see him attempt to put some of that old knowledge to good use.


• Sam stealing the ram's horn from the synagogue. I don't know what he told the guy to be able to get it out of there (or maybe he took it by force), but I love that he had no qualms about going into a holy building and stealing an item because it needed to be done.

I'm looking forward to next week and I'm also looking forward to seeing how Dean's issues work out. He's got a lot weighing on him and sooner or later something's got to give.

The complete transcript of tonight's episode can be found on the SupernaturalWiki.

Previews For Next Week

Next week's episode is one I've been looking forward to. The Buffy reunion! James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter will be playing a married couple. She's a witch and he's...possibly magically talented as well? I don't even know the entire plot yet, but I do know that when you put Spike and Cordelia together, you're going to get a lot of happy fans.

Sam Doesn't Feel Guilty

Sam admits that he no longer feels guilty. That's why Osiris skipped him and went straight for Dean. He feels like his time in Hell paid his dues for all the bad things he's done, so he's even. Dean needs to learn that as well, but I feel like he still hasn't. What was the point of the episode if Dean didn't learn the lesson?

Keeping Secrets

Despite their bonding, and Dean's repetitive request that he and Sam not keep any secrets between them, Dean's still lying about Amy. Keeping secrets from your brother is never a good thing. We've seen where that leads: death, destruction, and the apocalypse.

Bonding With Beer

And the last scene of the episode has some brotherly bonding with the car, in the middle of nowhere, and a few beers between them. It's been a while since we had this patented ending, as we used to get them quite a bit, so it's nice to go back to basics again.

Sam Saves Dean Just In Time

Jo's got her hand on the lighter, ready to take the gas-filled motel room up in flames, but Sam's finally stabbed Osiris in the back with the ram's horn, so Dean is saved! That was a bit predictable.

Jo/Dean Interactions

Back at the motel, Jo and Dean are still having their showdown. I love seeing Jo and Dean's interactions. Too bad his death is going to be a recreation of hers. One bomb coming up.

Sam Stole The Horn

Over at the synagogue, Sam managed to steal the horn despite being discovered during the process. He's on his way back with it now, so we may never known how he talked his way out of the sticky situation.

Eye For An Eye

Sam leaves to get the ram's horn and Dean puts down a salt circle for protection. But Jo's right behind him. She's going to haunt him until he's taken down. She doesn't want to do it, but it's supposed to be an eye for an eye.

Ram's Horn

Bobby's on the road and he's got a plan. The boys have to stab Osiris with a ram's horn and that'll put him down for a few centuries. Sam's got to steal one from a synagogue. Stealing a holy relic from a house of worship? That's a new low.

Back At The Motel

The boys are back at the motel and the dead armed robber's being carted out by the EMTs. The next victim is Dean. It's up to Sam to figure out a way to save his brother, else we're going to be down one Winchester in the fight. Despite Sam's attempts to be sane, Dean's death would surely send him over the edge, so he better figure out something soon.

Preventing Amy From Taking The Stand

With Jo and Sam's witness testimony over, and Dean currently on the stand, Osiris threatens to bring out a third witness. There could be a multitude of people from Dean's past that could be paraded out, but with the events of last week still weighing heavily on his mind, the last witness would most likely be Amy and Dean's not going to agree with that. He'd rather be judged guilty than have Sam find out about killing Amy.

Sam's Smooth Talking

Sam's trying to lighten Dean's guilt. Dean couldn't have known Jess was going to die and he didn't directly kill Jo, so Dean's just got to believe that. He doesn't, but he's good at pretending, though. I'm not sure I like Sam's way to approaching this case. Yes, he's showing the traits of a good lawyer, manipulating and twisting the testimony so it fits his case, but he's also just forcing the issue of "it's this way because I say it is, so you say it's this way, too."

Dean's Judging Himself

Interesting! As with all the victims before, judgement is all on Dean's shoulders. Osiris is simply weighing the guilt that Dean feels. I have no doubt that Dean's going to judge himself guilty.

Flashbacks

I am loving the use of flashbacks in this episode. All those people dead, their lives turned to ruin, all because of Dean's involvement. Sam's included in that, too. Usually I feel cheated by filling an episode with flashbacks, since it cuts into current time, but they're very effective tonight.

Second Witness: Sam

Well, this is interesting. The next witness is Sam. This isn't going to be good. He was going to be a lawyer, settle into a normal life with Jess, but then Dean showed back up and ruined all chance of normality. Ah, flashbacks of the Pilot. Back when Sam and Dean were so young, no naive, and hadn't died yet. If only they knew all the torment they were going to be in for, what with Sam and his demon blood, Dean and his mission from God, both their repetitive deaths, Dean's 40 years serving as Hell's torturer, and Sam's 180 years being tortured by Michael and Lucifer in the cage, resulting in his current mental instability. The good old days look pretty good right about now.

Twisting The Story

Sam's a manipulative lawyer, even though most of his teaching came from The Good Wife instead of Stanford pre-law classes. He turned it all around so that it wasn't Dean that started Jo hunting, but instead her father. Jo's got Daddy issues just like the Winchesters. I feel like he's just getting Jo to agree, even if she doesn't believe it herself.

First Witness: Jo

The first witness is Jo. Oh how I've missed her. She's not looking too good, being dead and all. But we get treated to some nice flashbacks of Jo and Dean's prior interactions. She may well be his greatest guilt, since she wouldn't have taken up hunting as strongly as she did if it weren't for Dean. And she wouldn't be dead now either, at least not at the hands of Hellhounds and a bomb blast.

Lawyer!Sam

Ha! Sam wants to serve as Dean's defense attorney. I love Lawyer!Sam, even if he hasn't been able to use that knowledge in more than seven years. I sure hope he remembers what they taught him at Stanford after all this time. His brother's life depends on it.

Dean in Chains

Sam's back at the barn, trying to see if he can locate Dean, since there was red dirt at the scene of his disappearance. However, the barn looks much different than the first time he visited.

Dean's chained up and being brought up on charges. Osiris is going to judge him for his past actions.

And now Sam's there. Yay!